Capt. Joel McNelly of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department told WCNC that investigators are committed to getting answers for Allisha Watts' family.
Watts was traveling with her boyfriend James Dunmore when she was last seen. He was found – in her car – within days, and police have said he is a person of interest. But he is not facing any criminal charges McNelly said.
Other WRAL Top Stories
"A person of interest can mean a lot of different things," McNelly said. "Any person who's connected to Allisha is of interest to us."
McNelly said Dunmore was not in CMPD custody and there are no immediate plans to arrest him on any charge.
"This is a missing persons investigation," he said.
Investigators continue to piece together a timeline of the couple's movements.
"We want to find the last time somebody has seen somebody in a missing persons investigation," McNelly said, "because that is the point we know they were missing from."
WCNC showed McNelly a surveillance image of Dunmore and Watts.
"I believe that is a picture of Allisha at North Lake Mall," he said. The photo, he said, appears to have been taken before Watts was reported missing.
But Watts' family members are frustrated by what they call a lack of information.
McNelly says investigators are in constant communication with the family.
He explained, "In any kind of case that we work, we designate a family member who is the point of contact. And the reason why we do that is so we can have one central point of contact to go through. We rely on that family member to inform other friends and families. We're detectives. We want to work the case. We want to find Allisha. That's our goal. So we need that family member to communicate with other family members."
Since Watts was reported missing, family and friends have held vigils and searches in multiple locations.
"If we've got to have church every night, if we've got to have a vigil every week, if we got to have church every day if we got to have a party every month, so be it until Allisha comes home," Dearest Price, of Racial Justice Network, said at one vigil on Tuesday.
Timeline of police reports about Allisha Watts
May 23: A domestic violence order is filed against James Dunmore in Durham County.
July 14: Allisha Watts' friend Learen Blue said the 39-year-old traveled to Charlotte on July 14 to see Dunmore in her black Mercedes SUV.
July 16: Watts last seen by friends in Moore County. Watts and James Dunmore leave for Charlotte in her black Mercedes SUV. The two had tickets to a comedy show at Bojangles Coliseum that night, but they did not attend.
July 18: Watts' phone and Dunmore's phone pinged at his house in the morning. Hours later, Watts' black Mercedes SUV was found in parking lot of Anson County DMV office in Polkton. Dunmore is found inside and unresponsive.
July 19: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) file missing persons report for Allisha Watts. Foxfire police search Watts' home and do not find her.
July 20: Anson County Sheriff's Office links SUV to Watts and calls Dunmore "a person of interest" in her disappearance. A shell casing was found along the street in front of Dunmore's home.
July 24: CMPD announces Watts' car has been found.
July 25: Anson County Sheriff's Office releases statement saying Dunmore was found along with the SUV.
July 26: Police officers are seen searching Dunmore's Charlotte-area home.
Aug. 24: A body was found in the area of Norman, a small town along Interstate 74, near the Richmond and Montgomery County line. The body has yet to be identified but is connected to the Watts investigation. A family member of Watts told WRAL News Dunmore was taken into custody outside his home.